


Bright lights in a dark city

by MordredLJselfship (mordredllewelynjones)



Series: Main self ship AU [1]
Category: Gotham (TV)
Genre: Almost Plotless, Britney Spears Songs, Canon doesn't exist, Dancing, Don't Like Don't Read, First Meetings, Just Harmless Fun, M/M, Not Reader Insert, POV First Person, Self Ship, Self-Insert, Singing, The Iceberg Lounge, ones-shot, self indulgent fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-03
Updated: 2018-10-03
Packaged: 2019-07-24 14:25:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,716
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16176917
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mordredllewelynjones/pseuds/MordredLJselfship
Summary: My first self ship story. How I and Oswald "met."Self insert NOT reader insert. If you don't like it don't read or interact.No sex or rude stuff in this story.





	Bright lights in a dark city

It's a common misconception that nobody chooses to move to Gotham. For all the unspeakable atrocities contained within its walls the city still manages to have a strong pull over certain types of people. Those looking to escape their old lives for some reason, those wanting somewhere where they would have the freedom to be however they wanted to be and those planning to add their own dark secrets to Gotham's already black heart.

  
I, as I stepped off the hot and cramped bus onto the grimy city streets for the first time, intended to accomplish all three of those things. The responsibilities of my early life had grown to much and now that I was finally free of them I wanted to lead a life completely different to the one I had lived before. Gotham is a city where anything is possible and, for those who can outsmart the GCPD, this is doubly true. Ambition and brains could take you far in this city if you had a criminal inclination and the ability to wrap the law around your little finger and this was the place which I chose to make my new home. This was the place where I would, hopefully, finally be able to discover who I truly was.

 

Life in Gotham, however, wasn't easy. This could hardly be deemed unexpected but it did put a dampener on my spirits. I had set off with very little money in the first place and what I had was quickly running out. Jobs, legal or otherwise, were scarce and if you wanted a dependable income then things became all the more difficult. When you were at the bottom there were few choices, you made an alliance with those better off than yourself or you resorted to other desperate means. Street gangs, drug pushing etc were all viable options that many were reduced to and could very well get you killed if you weren't careful.

  
Luckily, however, just as the situation started to look beyond all hope, I heard word on the street about a opening at a club, one which would go on to change my life forever. Anyone who had heard of Gotham had heard of Penguin, he was one of the most notorious and resourceful criminals in the city. The self proclaimed King of Gotham. Yet despite having the whole of Gotham to deal with Oswald Cobblepot also had legitimate business to keep himself occupied and that business manifested itself in the form of a nightclub. A very sophisticated one at that although perhaps not as well established as its proprietor would like. Anyway, the club was looking for acts to perform for the late night crowds and that was an opportunity too good to pass up. The possibility of working for a man who I already had personal interest in and a certain level of respect for (thanks to all the tales I had heard of his various victories over his adversaries in spite of unfavourable odds against him) was intriguing enough and held many possibilities for the future. Thoughts of a possible life of crime put aside, however, the fact remained that it was a decently paid performance job and as someone who had trained as a performer I knew how rare it was to find such a good offer. It was unlikely that I would find another form of employment as comfortable. To pass it up when I was in such desperate need of a job would be foolish to the point of self destructive.

 

As I stood in the sumptuously decorated corridor inside the club waiting for my audition I couldn't help but twist my hands together as a wave hot white panic washed over me. No matter how much you might enjoy performing the nerves never truly go away. The bouncer who was sat across the corridor and glaring over at me lazily, wasn't exactly helping me regain my confidence. I took a deep shuddering breath but it did no good. I wasn't ready for this, I was sure of it. I almost left before I was even called in but changed my mind as I caught a brief snippet of the band who were currently auditioning. I couldn't help but grimace. No matter how awful my performance may turn out to be it would certainly be better than that. Never had a punk classic sounded so washed out and devoid of emotion. With my faith in my feeble abilities mildly restored I began to pace up and down, the bouncer watching me like a hawk, as I awaited my turn to take the stage. I didn't have to wait long.

  
The door opened and a bald man with a broad smile poked his head out. "You're next" Victor Zsasz, the cities most famous assassin, said cheerful before disappearing from whence he had come. This was it. I swallowed apprehensively before following him. The main room of the club was just as tastefully yet simply decorated as the rest of the place, the polished floor and large window opening out the surprisingly small room so that you barely thought about how crowded and intimate the place must feel when it was full of customers. I gazed around in silent admiration then turned my attention to the matter at hand.

 

The stage was bare, the previous act having obviously taken whatever instruments they had had away via a service exit of some sorts. No fancy lights. No props. This was about the ability to perform, pure and simple. Trying my best not to hyperventilate from stress I took to the stage and stared out over my tiny audience, a move I instantly regretted.

  
Sat in a lone chair in the middle of the dance floor, Zsasz standing a couple of steps behind him, was Oswald Cobblepot. My heart leapt up into my throat and for a moment I found myself even more breathless than I had been before. What it was about him I couldn't exactly say, there was just something about him that I found truly captivating. His inky black hair fell over his pale eyes in a way that drew even more attention to them and the intensity of the emotions that shone out from within them. At that moment his face was set in an expression of bored determination, it was clear that he had had a long and trying day. This obvious frustration, made all the more apparent by the may he crossed one leg over the other as he stared at me critically over the glass of wine held loosely in his hand, should have terrified me and while I felt far from confident there was something about his presence which, even in this foul mood, I found strangely reassuring, if not distracting. I couldn't for the life of me begin explain the exact thoughts and feelings went through my mind during that brief moment but it was clear that, one way or another, this would be a night that stayed with me.

  
"When you are ready" Oswald said tetchily, making it clear that he did not want to be kept waiting. Taking a deep breath to try and help me clear my head, I took centre stage. Having rooted myself I then nodded pointedly at Zsasz who graciously turned on the speakers, allowing music to fill the room.

 

_"_ _There's only two types of people in the world, the ones that entertain and the ones that observe. Well baby I'm a put on a show kind of girl, don't like the back seat, gotta be first. I'm like the ringleader, I call the shots. I'm like a firecracker, I make it hot. When I put on a show!"_

 

  
It was a song that I had always felt represented me. Not so much who I had grow up being but who I wanted to be, who I hoped life in Gotham would turn me into. Someone self-assured and in control. And what better time to start being that version of me than right now, I thought as I launched into a dance routine whilst continuing to sing, determined to show everything I had to offer.

  
_"_ _All eyes on me in the centre of the ring, just like a circus. When I crack that whip, everybody gonna trip, just like a circus. Don't stand there watching me, follow me, show me what you can do. Everybody let go, we can make the dance floor just like a circus."_

  
Inevitably I got lost in the performance, throwing my whole self into as span slid across the stage but eventually the song ended and I was left feeling suddenly vulnerable once more in a silent and largely empty room. Not a comfortable experience. Luckily the silence didn't last long. The sound of clapping echoed around the room as Penguin got up from his chair and approached the stage with a satisfied smile on his face. From behind him Zsasz gave me an encouraging double thumbs up.

 

"That will do nicely" he said matter-of-factly "You'll make a welcome addition to the club's staff. After all, I can hardly expect to make this Gotham's number one night spot without some form of entertainment. I trust I can count on you to carry out your duties with professionalism. I won't tolerate anything less, is that understood." He held out his hand and there was a stern expression painted across his features. Penguin was renowned for high standards when it came to both his employees capabilities and loyalty, something that I respected. Even as just a performer at the club the job would come with risks, ones that could cost me my life in all probability, but they were risks that I was more than willing to take.

  
I took the offered hand without hesitation. "Of course" I replied sincerely "Thank you very much for this opportunity, Mr Cobblepot. I shan't let you down." He smiled once more and this time it was a true, heartfelt smile. One which, for some reason, warmed my heart. My feelings for him at that point were unclear but even then I knew that I would do practically anything to make him happy if it meant that I got to see that smile again.

                                                                                                                       **The End.**

**Author's Note:**

> So yeah, how obvious is it that I am not used to writing first person or self ship stuff? Lol. (Don't answer that.) Oh well, I hope to improve. :)  
> By the way, the song is: Circus by Britney Spears.


End file.
